Students of Colonial Latin American history know quite well the account of Bartolomé de las Casas, Dominican “protector of the Indians.” In fact, they are likely to know more about the sixteenth century of las Casas than the following two hundred years. For this reason alone, the addition of a translation of a key seventeenth-century source by Juan de Palafox y Mendoza is a welcome addition to our bookshelves.The volume is handsomely edited and elegantly translated by Nancy Fee, extending the work of her doctoral dissertation on the role of the churchman Palafox. Her 60-page biographical sketch of the man is magnificent reading. Palafox was arguably one of the more influential public figures in New Spain during his century, an influential bishop of Puebla de Los Angeles with considerable impact on the baroque construction of religious edifices and establishment of convents and other institutions. He served in the civil sector as viceroy for six months in 1642, and also as visitador general, investigating the secular and religious realms of the colony. He tangled with the Jesuits in particular, denouncing them in letters to the Spanish monarch.Fee paints a striking picture of the bishop, who was supremely loyal to church and crown and influential in physical construction of church infrastructure, as well as a strong force in its moral upkeep. Energized by the principles of the Council of Trent, Palafox “aimed to preserve and elevate the Catholic mission of Spanish colonialism” (p. 51), yet like las Casas seems to have awoken to the mistreatment of native peoples in his realm. Though he was better known for his hostility to the Jesuits and other religious for their special privileges, Fee effectively demonstrates another dimension of Palafox in the development of his views about New Spain’s indigenous population. In sum, her portrait of Palafox is impressively nuanced and provides a complicated reading of colonial politics.After Fee has set the historical context of the world of Palafox, the actual document is then introduced by Alejandro Cañeque. Virtues of the Indian is a lengthy letter written to King Phillip IV that positively portrays the indigenous population. From Cañeque we learn that while scholars may be tempted to view las Casas and Palafox as parallel figures in the defense of the Indians, the century that passed between them actually shifted debates about native peoples. Cañeque skillfully contrasts the sixteenth-century narratives, which are more ethnological and occasionally utopian in character, with Pala-fox’s interest in the loyal native vassal. His goal, says Cañeque, was to work toward the stability of the empire, based on a sturdy class of indigenous masses. The introduction by Cañeque places the document with respect to earlier writers such as las Casas and Jerónimo de Mendieta. The views of Palafox are clearly rooted in this sixteenth-century discourse, yet he benefits from reflection on the mixed success of evangelization over the previous century.Spanish and English renditions of the document itself face each other in the 50 pages that follow the introduction. Fee’s translation is subtle and accurate, and bilingual readers will enjoy traveling across the pages. Sections are clearly labeled, and the titles themselves reveal something of the author’s perspective. Chapter 4 is partly titled, “On the Valor and Strength of the Indians . . . ,” chapter 15, “On the Wits and Promptness of the Indian,” and so on. Palafox does discuss their “vices” as well, but the overall argument of the letter is passionate in appreciation of their moral and productive value to the crown.In sum, this is a splendid volume that colonial Latin Americanists will appreciate. The work should be assigned to upper-division undergraduates and graduate students in Latin American history courses. Though there is not much in the way of explicit teaching apparatus in the volume, such as questions for further investigation, instructors can easily devise these. The combination of historical and biographical context with the richness of this source will provide plenty for hungry students to chew on. If utilized in this manner, students will discover that the middle colonial period was far more complex than mere survey texts, or perhaps their own professors, tend to convey.